Free A Matter of Marriage by Ann Collins Page B

inheritance, my employees, and myself from an uncertain fate.
When my father died suddenly last year, he left a will that stipulated I must
marry within six months of his death or lose the hotel. The deadline is
midnight Saturday, just over fifty-two hours from now. If I don’t make it, the
Hotel Grand Victoria will be sold to the highest bidder. The money will go into
a trust fund for any eventual male offspring I may produce. My father wanted a
son, you see, a male heir to run the hotel in his place. He failed. A grandson
was his next hope.”
    “I
think I’m glad I didn’t meet your father.” He pushed his knife further away. “Did
your father’s will also stipulate who would manage the hotel until your son
came of age?”
    “No.”
She allowed herself a tiny smile. “He would be extremely aggravated if he knew
I put myself in charge.”
    “Your
father was a fool. From what I’ve seen in the last few hours, you are perfectly
capable of running this hotel on your own. You shouldn’t have to marry.”
    Her
heart beat faster at Alex’s simply stated compliment, at his belief in her. He
was different from most men, who thought women were only good for homemaking,
intimate relations, and childrearing.
    “Thank
you for saying that, Mr.—”
    “Alex,”
he broke in.
    She
nodded. “Alex. Your opinion, however, does not solve my problem. I need a
husband.”
    He
rubbed the back of his neck. “Under normal circumstances, I might be flattered
by your proposal, but I have a feeling you’re not being terribly picky at the
moment.”
    Heat
flowed into her face. “It was either you or a convicted murderer sentenced to
hang.”
    “You
really are scraping the bottom of the barrel,” he said, a note of sarcasm in
his voice.
    Julia
couldn’t blame him for it.
    He
pointed to his scar. “This wouldn’t bother you?”
    “How
you look makes no difference to me.” He was, in fact, a good-looking man. She
didn’t mind the scar.
    He
tapped his fingers on the tablecloth. “Was your marriage to Williamson a
business arrangement?”
    “Yes.
He agreed to do it for the three thousand dollars I mentioned before. He also
agreed to several conditions. I have some stipulations of my own.”
    “I
thought you might, although you’re not really in a position to make demands,”
he said, diminishing her hopes of getting what she wanted. “Go ahead. Tell me.”
    Just
then the waiter arrived with their dinner, two plates of perfectly roasted,
juicy, pink prime rib, mashed potatoes, and string beans. Alex’s stomach
growled so loudly Julia felt a sense of relief. He wasn’t likely to leave the
table—and her—until he had eaten.
    The
waiter bowed to them and moved on.
    Alex
leaned down and inhaled the smells from his plate. He cut off a piece of meat
and stuck his fork into it. “Feel free to keep talking while I eat.”
    Too
nervous to swallow anything herself, she explained the rest of her proposition
and the arrangements made with Phillip. “Tomorrow morning, in the presence of
my lawyer, Phillip was going to sign a legal document stating that he would
never seek any further financial remuneration from me. The ceremony is tomorrow
evening, and upon its completion, Phillip was to receive his payment and leave
the Hotel Grand Victoria for good. The same conditions would apply to you.”
    The
forkful of mashed potatoes in his hand stopped in midair. “I’d have to leave?”
When she nodded, he said, “But I just got here. I haven’t even had a chance to
explore the hotel yet.”
    She
chewed on her thumbnail, hating to compromise. However, he was injured, and she
had promised him a room until the doctor pronounced him fit. “In light of your
injuries, perhaps we can come to an agreement on your departure date. But you
can’t stay too long. As I’m sure you can imagine, I cannot have my husband
living nearby and working for me. What would people think?”
    “What
will they think if your newly wedded husband isn’t